bigger bike, modern bike, or sup up my 550?

Daftrusty wrote: ...while you can easily find a larger displacement (vintage) motorcycle that will provide years of fun, you may lose a lot of the nimbleness and "happy puppy dog" feeling the 550 provides.
That why you should keep the 550 and build a really cool 650/750/900/1000/1100 restomod.

Now that my 750 project is almost done, ( just need to finish welding up the Bassani exhaust) I am now planning to remodel my zr550 with some powder coated wheels and a different exhaust. I have to keep myself busy until I can collect all the necessary parts to start the kz650 restomod I want to do.

Thanks Rusty. Yeah, I think I see both bikes in my future - the 550 and a bigger bike. So maybe it's more a matter of timing than anything -- do I do the Wiseco 615 upgrade now and then eventually get the bigger bike, or get the bigger bike now (and maybe not bother suping up my 550 further). I wonder if the 615cc big bore would satisfy my hunger for a bit more power. Corey's gpz550 is putting out only 5-10 more hp more than mine, but he's getting >30% more torque (39 ft lbs vs 30 for mine).

Sound like you decided to keep your zr550. Happy to hear it. I know you were considering selling last year. So few of these cool little bikes around, they deserve loving homes

Daftrusty wrote: **Totally of subject, but I need to return to your past thread about installing zx550 cams in your Zephyr. While researching the mystery Yoshimura cams I put in my 750, I instantly realized a massive chunk of mis-information I wrote in one of my replies regarding valve overlap. Needless to say is that I'm an idiot and posted some highly erroneous information that needs to be removed.**

I learned so much in that thread, would be good to update it to keep it accurate. Speaking of which, I did get the bike dyno'd but haven't updated the thread because the guys doing the tune were clowns - I don't know how much to trust the numbers. The bike ended up, according to their sketchy dynojet dyno, putting out 58 hp at the rear wheel.

waktaylor wrote: I don’t really like punching out the ccs on a bike for some reason it seems dishonest. Some people can build the 650 out to over 800 but it just seems like it would remove the soul of the bike.
BUT high compression and hot cams, in my opinion, simply amplify the soul!

Lol, interesting perspective. Maybe there's something to that...

Sorry off topic also... you guys with your 650's and Delkevics are driving me nuts. Those things are exactly what I [strike]want[/strike] need. But, of course, not available yet for a 550 . Alright, carry on. I'll go sit in the corner and dry my tears.

Lou, there are tons of exhaust systems still available for the zr400/550 that should fit your bike with minimal modification -
japan.webike.net/ps/#!&p.m=396&p.c=1002&p.sk=1

Thanks Mark. Yeah, I figured, but a stainless header for $250 is pretty hard to beat. I don't see how Delkevic can make that for that price, even if it's made in Asia somewhere.

Mark and I live about 24 miles from each other, and I have known him for a few years now. He has come a long way with his ZR550, and has even been doing some track days on it. Will he eventually start racing? That is up to him.

I feel for you on this subject Mark. You can finish the project you have and get another and go a different path, but if you need to sell the ZR to fund the other, because you don't have the space for 2 bikes, that is you call. Maybe get a storage for the second bike? 615cc with lumpier cams really wakes up the 550, from my experience on the track and the street. Reliable in daily commuting? I don't see why not. You have a choice of 615 kits. Wiseco 10.25:1, or from Dynoman, his 12:1 Kit. I have had conversations with Dynoman and running our pump gas limited 91 Octane would not be a problem with the 12:1, and non-stock cams. No need to run race gas. Gary is running the 12;1 and Web Cams (#1264) in his 1984, and loves it. This is very similar to Megacycle's 478-60 Grind.

As for another bike, the ZXR1100/1200 is always calling my name. They have the look I like, and options to upgrade performance if needed.

Good luck on your search, and by the way, we still need to ride sometime.

EDIT: Here is another ZR550 Project for you
losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mcy/d/kawa...sale/6771513322.html

Wow! That craigslist ad for all those Zephyrs and parts would be a dream come true if I wasn’t 7 states away. There are so many things he has that I have been desperately searching for. And yet I have duplicates of almost all of it as well....

But on a different note, I noticed that Kawasaki shows the base gaskets for all the 550’s are no longer avalible. So finding OEM ones on eBay is our only source and soon they will become unobtainable. This sucks because the aftermarket base gaskets are very hit and miss in quality. I am currently using an aftermarket one and (fingers crossed) it is totally leak free.
I have a spare zr550 motor that needs new oil seals in the cylinder block and I want to find a OEM gasket for it but the prices have understandably doubled.
So if you are going to go the 615 route you will need to find a quality base gasket before you tear everthing apart.

Daftrusty wrote: But on a different note, I noticed that Kawasaki shows the base gaskets for all the 550’s are no longer avalible. So finding OEM ones on eBay is our only source and soon they will become unobtainable. This sucks because the aftermarket base gaskets are very hit and miss in quality. I am currently using an aftermarket one and (fingers crossed) it is totally leak free.
I have a spare zr550 motor that needs new oil seals in the cylinder block and I want to find a OEM gasket for it but the prices have understandably doubled.
So if you are going to go the 615 route you will need to find a quality base gasket before you tear everthing apart.

I must have had a stroke...as I looked today and ebay is flooded with OEM 550 base gaskets for very reasonable prices. There is about 5-7 different part numbers for them through the years as they changed materials and so on. I am daft....

CoreyClough wrote: You have a choice of 615 kits. Wiseco 10.25:1, or from Dynoman, his 12:1 Kit. I have had conversations with Dynoman and running our pump gas limited 91 Octane would not be a problem with the 12:1, and non-stock cams. No need to run race gas. Gary is running the 12;1 and Web Cams (#1264) in his 1984, and loves it. This is very similar to Megacycle's 478-60 Grind.

Wow, 12:1? With just pump gas? I'll have to talk with Gary more about that. That's pretty tempting. I'd love to see some dyno numbers

At some point, wouldn't increasing compression without increasing stroke result in less power? The pistons achieve higher compression because they have higher domes, but without increasing the length of the stroke that means the combustion chamber size is effectively decreased....right?

CoreyClough wrote:
EDIT: Here is another ZR550 Project for you
losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mcy/d/kawa...sale/6771513322.html

Oh man, that is tempting. I do need to get a better work area or some storage before getting another bike. Working on it...

Daftrusty wrote: I must have had a stroke...as I looked today and ebay is flooded with OEM 550 base gaskets for very reasonable prices. There is about 5-7 different part numbers for them through the years as they changed materials and so on. I am daft....

I've found that many discontinued OEM parts for the zr550 are still available when ordering directly from Japanese distributors. This is likely because some form of the zr400 (sister model to the zr550) was sold all the way through to 2008(ish). Same could be true for other models. The gpz400 (sister to the gpz550) seems to have been sold until 1994 in the Japanese market, at least insofar as I can tell from Google translating this Japanese wikipedia entry -
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AF...82%AD%E3%83%BBGPz400

I just realized I misspelled "sup" in the title of this thread, or rather, didn't know how to properly spell the word at the time. Should be "supe up." Or maybe even "soup up".

Zaddict wrote:
Wow, 12:1? With just pump gas?

a longer duration cam can make an engine with 12:1 static have a lower cranking compression equal to a 10:1 that is running a shorter duration cam.